Roofing protection strip



June 7, 1966 E. P. BOWSER ROOFING PROTECTION STRIP HIS ATTORNEYS Filed Jan. 8, 1965 3,254,460 Patented June 7, 1966 ce I 3,254,460 ROOFING PROTECTION STRIP Emery P. Bowser, Kittanning, Pa., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Arms Enterprises, Inc., Kittanning, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Jan. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 250,167

1 Claim. (CI. 52-94) This invention relates to a protective metal strip for use along the slope or drain edge of a building roof. The normal manner of constructing a roof is to cover the wooden sheeting with weather resistant roofing material. In order to protect the edges of the sheeting against rot caused by dampness, the roofing material is arranged on the sheeting so that it projects a slight distance, usually about /2" beyond the edge of the sheeting. It has been found that this manner of protecting the edges of the sheeting is not completely satisfactory, as rain and snow are blown between the sheeting and roofing material and the sheeting rots to such an extent that it will not hold the roofing nails with which the roofing material is attached to the sheeting.

Additionally, a disadvantage in the present manner of afiixing the roofing material to the sheeting is the projected portion of the roofing material is broken when a ladder is placed against the edge of the roof for painting or repairing the roof or when snow and ice accumulate on the projected portion of the roofing material. Once the projected portion of the roofing material is broken, the portion of the sheeting in the area of the broken roofing material is directly exposed to the elements and, consequently, rots.

My invention provides a protective strip, preferably made from metal but adapted to be made from other suitable materials, including plastics, which can be used on both the slope and drain edges of a roof and fits over the sheeting and roofing material in such a manner that the sheeting material is protected from contact with rain and snow. The protective strip is so designed that it covers the edge of the sheeting material and protects it from contact with water. Additionally, the protective strip provides an anchor means which firmly holds the edge of the roofing material in place and prevents water from blowing between the sheeting and roofing material. A plurality of openings may be provided in the strip when it is to be used on the drain edge of the roof and these openings are positioned to permit any water which finds its way in between the strips and the anchored roofing material to drain out. Water must not be permitted to stand betwen the roofing material and the strip because cold temperatures would cause it to freeze and the subsequent expansion would loosen the roofing nails which fasten the strip and roofing material to the sheeting.

One feature of my novel protective strip is that the projection normally found at the edges of a roof is eliminated. This is important, as it permits a ladder to be placed against the edge of the roof without a consequent bending and breaking of the roofing material. Also, there is no projection which can be broken off by accumulated snow and ice.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown preferred embodiments of my invention in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a protective strip constructed in accordance with the invention; and

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a modified protective strip constructed in accordance with the invention.

Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, reference numeral 1 designates the roof sheeting and reference numeral 2 designates my novel protective strip. The strip comprises an upright portion or edge 3 having an outwardly extending lip 4 at its lower edge and three transverse portions 5, 6 and 7, the bottom one of which exstrip and the roofing material on the sheeting.

tends from the upper edge of portion 3 in the opposite direction from the lip 4. The portion 6 contacts portion 5 and, as shown in FIGURE 1, extends toward the upper edge of upright portion 3 but terminates rearwardly thereof so as to form an exposed ledge 8 on the upper surface of portion 5. This ledge is approximately A" to /2" wide but the specific widthis not important, as long as it is sufiicient to expose the upper edge of portion 3. The uppermost transverse portion 7 is connected with the forward edge of portion 6- by means of an upright edge portion 9. The portion 7 extends rearwardly above the portion 6 and, as a result of the edge 9, is spaced therefrom to provide a rearwardly opening pocket 10 which receives roofing material 11. It is preferred that the protective strip be formed from one continuous piece of metal, as shown, but it could readily be formed from a plurality of individual members, welded, soldered, or bolted together at the various joints, or it could be stamped from a piece of plastic.

The edge 9 which is the leading part of the pocket 10 has a plurality of rectangular openings 12 cut therein and the uppermost transverse portion 7 has a plurality of semicircular openings 13 cut in its forward portion and located so as to form continuous openings with the op nings 12. The openings 13 could, of course, be triangular, rectangular, or square in shape, as long as they are continuous with openings 12. The openings 12 and 13 are cut in the strip in order to provide drain outlets for any water which might find its way in between the roofing material 11 and the transverse portions 6 and 7.

My novel protective strip is fitted on the edge of sheeting 1 and a portion of the first row of roofing material 11 is slipped into the pocket between portions 6 and 7. The lower edge of the roofing material is held in abutting relation with the edge portion 9 and nails, as indicated at 14, are driven through the protective strip and the roofing material into sheeting to firmly afiix both the As is readily apparent from the drawing, the sheeting is completely protected from the weather by the strip and the lower edge of the roofing material is firmly anchored in place. Also, the undesirable projection at the sheeting edge is completely eliminated. The protective strip may be constructed in sections of any desired length and one off water from the roof into the gutter which is affixed in' a known manner to the building below the roof edge. By completely covering the edge of the sheeting, the portion 3 prov-ides an attractive trim piece for the roof, as well as protecting the sheeting from weather.

Referring to FIGURE 2 of the drawings, a protective roofing strip is shown wherein the transverse portion 6 and the area of portion 5 which it overlies have been eliminated. This embodiment is similar to that shown in FIGURE 1 and the same reference numerals have been used to designate like parts. The transverse portion of the strip which engages the upper surface of the sheeting member terminates at the upright edge portion 9 and is designated 5a. The pocket for holding the roofing material 11 is designated 10a in FIGURE 2 and is formed by the edge portion 9, the transverse portion 7 and the upper surface of the roof sheeting 1 My invention has a number of important features which include the following: (1) preventing the wooden sheeting material on either the drain edge or the slope edge of a roof from rotting as a result of contactwith water, (2) preventing the outer edge of the roofing material from being lifted by Wind, (3) eliminatingthe overhang at the roof edge, and (4) providing a smooth, attractive trim for the roof edge.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A protective roofing strip made from sheetlike material and having (a) a depending planar first portion having an elongated upper edge and adapted to fit against an edge of a roof sheeting,

(b) a second elongated portion extending rearwardly from said edge and extending substantially at right angles from said first portion and adapted to fit against the upper surface of said sheeting,

(c) a third portion connected continuously along said second portion, bent back upon and overlying a part of said second portion and terminating rearwardly of the plane of said first portion to form an exposed elongated planar surface on said second portion,

(d) a top portion connected to said third portion, over- 4 lying said third portion to form a rearwardly directed elongated pocket defined by said top and third portions for receiving a part of a piece of roofing material,

(e) said top portion extending rearwardly beyond the connection of said third portion to said second portion,

I (f) at least one opening in said pocket adjacent to said connection of said top portion to said third portion to permit Water drainage from said pocket.

References Cited by the Examiner EARL J. WITMER, Primary Examiner. 

